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Picture of the Queen in a South Kensington shop: 'London feels different since the Queen died'
Photo: Jeremie Souteyrat / DER SPIEGEL
The second Elizabethan age is over.
Britain has a king for the first time in 70 years, and in London people still can't quite believe it.
Mourners and the curious stream incessantly to Buckingham Palace.
The police cordoned off the area around the square, first-aid tents were set up, huge flags were erected, but they are not allowed to wave.
Visitors photograph the palace as if there is something to see here, as if something has changed since the Queen's death.
It's the same building that was there yesterday, that has been there for ages, only now flowers are piling up in front of the gate and people are crowding the Victoria Monument.
Anyone who leaves Westminster hardly notices a difference from the days before the Queen's death.
The streets are congested, and a group of Hare Krishna disciples are singing at the exit of Oxford Circus tube station.
Still, people say it's quieter, at least a little.
As if their city had moved a little closer together, as if mourning were dampening the noise of the metropolis.
Here four Londoners share what the Queen's death means to them personally - and to Britain.
Matthew Auggett: "Sometimes it takes tragedy to unite people"
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Matthew Auggett
Photo: Jeremie Souteyrat / DER SPIEGEL
“When I heard that she had died, it made me very sad.
I thought: This is really the last thing the country needs right now.
Right now everything is a bit chaotic anyway.
On the other hand, you never know.
Sometimes it takes tragedy to unite people.
Even with those who aren't royalists.
When I got up this morning, I had forgotten what had happened.
When I got ready for work, it came back to me.
We put a sign in the window showing the Queen.
My boss prepared it last night.
Of course, her death is on everyone's mind right now.
And that will continue to be the case for the next few days.
But the idea of monarchy is that it is not the individual that counts, but what they represent.
And while Charles might feel like he can't fill her big shoes, he'll do his best.
And she, she will be honored and not forgotten.
The times have changed.
But the royal family will be there until people say they don't want that anymore.
I hope she stays.
What I like about the monarchy is that it brings people together.
I also like tradition, I think it's important.
I'm christ.
And the Queen is the head of the Church, if that is abolished then we are a fully secular state.
I believe that the death of the Queen will change Britain's influence in the world, but I also believe that would happen anyway.
The world is changing, and that's a good thing.
It's the way things go, and I think it's important to remain flexible.
I just don't like tearing things down."
Sioux Vosper: "She followed the rules even though she was the queen"
“I'm not a royalist, but when I saw the Queen sitting alone at her husband's funeral, I understood: she's just a grieving woman.
She played by the rules like we had to play by the rules even though she was the queen.
That meant a lot to me.
The monarchy in Britain is different from other countries.
The Queen is not just the Queen of Great Britain.
She is the queen of the world.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
It is more than a country for which she has great importance.
London feels different since the Queen died.
The city has become quieter, everything seems a bit insulated.
It's just like Diana did.”
Coral Gregory: »New banknotes, new coins, new stamps, new mailboxes«
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Sioux Vosper (left) and Coral Gregory
Photo: Jeremie Souteyrat / DER SPIEGEL
“I lost my mother last year, during the pandemic.
It is similar to what the Queen experienced at the death of Prince Philip.
That's why I've felt even more connected to her since the pandemic than before.
Now she's gone, and that will actually change the world.
New banknotes, new coins, new stamps, new mailboxes.
It's tough, it's the end of an era.
When I heard the news yesterday, I cried simply because everything is changing so quickly.
I have fond memories of the Queen.
I remember my parents taking me to Windsor Castle for the Silver Jubilee when I saw them in their car in a green outfit.
I sat on my father's shoulders.
She never let us down, she knew how to behave.
I love how the world still takes time to remember her, even at this difficult time with the war in Ukraine.
Charles will have big shoes to fill.
He looks a bit more modern, of course, but he's been prepared for what's about to happen.
He knows what to do now.
I think it will take a long time to get used to the fact that she is no longer there.
If you now hear: 'King Charles III.
is going to give a speech' sounds pretty strange to me.«
Lauren Stuart: "I hope they call her 'Elizabeth the Great'"
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Lauren Stuart
Photo: Jeremie Souteyrat / DER SPIEGEL
“I couldn't believe that was true.
I thought maybe it's fake news.
I raced home from university and turned on the BBC.
I must have watched the news for five hours that day.
From the way the journalists talked there, I noticed that something was different.
When they then said that she really was dead, I couldn't believe it.
I just didn't understand that it actually happened.
She meant so much to all of us.
This is not only my generation, it is also our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
It blew us all away.
She has seen so many changes and always remained consistently amazing.
In my family, we're kind of obsessed with the queen and the royal family.
We used to watch Queen's Speech together.
My grandmother has been crying all the time since yesterday.
Also because it reminds her of her parents.
Of the time after the war, of all the difficulties they went through back then.
The Queen was there then and accompanied her through this difficult time.
As a feminist, she was a huge influence and role model for me.
To see a woman in such a high position, so accepted around the world.
I will miss that.
At least we still have Liz Truss.
I'm not sure what her death will mean for Britain.
I just hope the monarchy stays in place and doesn't go away.
I have high hopes for Charles because of his strong commitment to combating climate change.
I wish he would become the voice our generation needs.
Of course, he cannot replace his mother.
I think he'll just approach it differently.
Just like his sons will do it differently.
I hope they will call her 'Elizabeth the Great' now, forever.
Because she is.”
